Bills that would require companies that engage in hydraulic fracturing to disclose the chemicals they use and allow an exemption from public records for “trade secrets” passed their first committee stop on Tuesday despite Democratic opposition.
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting large volumes of water, sand or other materials and specialized chemicals into wells under enough pressure to fracture the formations holding the oil or gas, according to the Congressional Research Service. The U. S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency is conducting a study to determine the potential affects of “fracking” on drinking water.